Furniture spring clip and installation

ABSTRACT

A stop element projects up from the base of a permanently open J-shaped sheet metal clip such as those conventionally used to hold the straight portion of the end bar of a wire furniture spring to a rail of the furniture frame. Progressive creeping of the end bar out of its seat in the clip is resisted by the stop element without the necessity of closing the clip. A single fastener such as one staple through the base holds the clip to the rail. The short imperforate flange or leg of the clip makes an angle of less than 90* to the perforated clip base and is permanently spaced from the stop element a distance not less than the diameter of the wire of the spring end bar.

United States Patent 11 1 Grille et al.

[ 1 Feb. 12, 1974 FURNITURE SPRING CLIP AND INSTALLATION Inventors: Thomas Grille, New York City;

Daniel Krakauer, Great Neck; Edwin G. Krakauer, Roslyn Heights, all of NY.

Kay Manufacturing Corp., Brooklyn, NY.

Filed: Nov. 11, 1971 Appl. No.: 197,823

Assignee:

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,716,442 8/1955 Larson ct a1 287/l89.35 X 3,288,503 11/1966 Slominski 287/189.35 2,843,193 7/1953 Regan ,1 287/189.35

Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-Wayne L. Shedd Attorney, Agent, or Firml-larry Jacobson [57] ABSTRACT A stop element projects up from the base of a permanently open J-shaped sheet metal clip such as those conventionally used to hold the straight portion of the end bar of a wire furniture spring to a rail of the furniture frame. Progressive creeping of the end bar out of its seat in the clip is resisted by the stop element without the necessity of closing the clip. A single fastener such as one staple through the base holds the clip to the rail. The short imperforate flange or leg of the clip makes an angle of less than 90 to the perforated clip base and is permanently spaced from the stop element a distance not less than the diameter of the wire of the spring end bar.

9 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures FURNITURE SPRING CLIP AND INSTALLATION This invention relates to spring installations for upholstered furniture and to the spring-holding clips therefor, and is particularly directed to the means for holding the spring ends against significant dislocation in, or creeping out of, the bend of the clip.

Most of the zig-zag types of wire springs presently used in upholstered furniture are sinuous and pre-arced as taught by the Kaden patent No. Re 21,263. The springs are partly straightened when installed across the seat or back of a furniture frame and are thereby uncurled to some extent and tensioned even when not loaded. Other types of sinuous springs and other zig-zag forms such as those with nearly square rather sharp corners or with irregular bends, which are not prearced, are simply stretched when installed and are also under tension when in place. Where coil springs may be used, such springs are also stretched when installed.

Where the spring end is secured to a rail, whatever the type of spring, each such spring terminates at both ends in an end bar which is straight for the intermediate part thereof and is bent back at its free end. Conventional generally J-shaped clips,'usually lined to prevent squeaking as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,853,123, are customarily used to embrace the transversely arranged end bars and hold them in place while permitting the required swivellingaction theeof. Such clips are supplied to the upholsterer with arelatively long flat base and a short flange parallel to the base and joined thereto by a bend to form 'a hook, the clip being completely open opposite the bend.

Over many years, it has been found necessary under most conditions to close down the open end of the clip after the insertion of the end bar thereinto by driving a fastener element such as a staple through both the short flange and the base. The staple driver bends the short flange down around the end bar of the spring while driving the staple. The clip closing operation can only be done after the clip has first been secured to the rail.

In those cases where the clips are not so closed, an end bar would occasionally work its way out through the open end of the clip.

There is no practical effective way to return the end bar into its clip and no assurance that if it were so returned, at prohibitive trouble and expense nevertheless, it would not escape again. In use, the springs are overlaid with tightly packed upholstery materials and enclosed in a fabric cover securely attached to a wooden frame on all sides, making access to a slipped out end bar impossible without disastrously disturbing or distroying the upholstery. The problem of slipped out spring ends has heretofore been met by closing conventional clips around the spring ends as above explained, a separate operation which required substantial labor after the clips had been fastened down to the rails. Effective means to avoid such labor with safety would result in decided savings in time and the cost of spring installations.

Sinuous and other upholstery supporting springs usually have the ends thereof bent back to extend past the bend of the clip when installed so that they would not move transversely of the spring out of their clips. It has therefore been assumed by those in the industry that when such a spring in tension did come out of its clip, it was the result of a'force which counteracted and overcame the tension maintaining the spring end in the clip. Such force might result when a person sat down heavily into a chair with a simultaneous backward motion. A child jumping into a chair could produce the same effect. However, extensive experiments now show that while such an effect is possible, it is difficult to at tain and does not sustain the above assumption of the reason why the ends of sinuous springs in tension escape from the clips therefor, if the clips are not closed about the spring ends.

Instead, the tendency to escape is now discovered to be a relatively small but repeated transverse force on the spring accompanied by the usual oscillation of the spring end in the bend of the clip. The transversely directed force on a seat for example, may easily be developed by a shifting of the upholstery while in use by a person moving into or on the seat or against a spring which is alongside rather than under the person. Under the transverse force and associated oscillation or swivelling action of the endbar of the spring in its seat in the clip, the curved part at either end of the end bar which normally is outside of the clip, enters the bend and produces a cam action in cooperation with the edges of the clip bend. Which curved part so acts depends of which of the two transverse directions the force takes as shown by the arrows of FIGS. 12 and 13. The cam action results in the gradual creeping of the spring progressively sideways but also slightly longitudinally with the inevitable additional stretching or lengthening of the overall dimension of the spring.

Should the force be in the direction shown in FIG. 13, that is, away from the free end of the end bar, the spring end bar movesout of the clip bend and may eventually become completely disengaged therefrom by moving out of the open end of the clip. If the force is in the opposite direction as in FIG. 12, the end bar shifts but the closed loop of the spring prevents the es cape of the spring end from the clip, though all the contractile force and tension in the stretched spring is concentrated on a very small area at the border of the clip. The concentrated force hastens the deterioration of the clip lining with consequent annoying squeaking or groaning when the spring is loaded.

,T he present invention is therefore directed to the provision of a clip which is permanently 'open but which nevertheless permits the end bar of its upholstery spring to be unobstructedly inserted into and retained in the clip bend against dislocation and escape.

The invention is further directed to the provision of stop-means on the clip for resisting sideways or transverse forces tending to move the end bar of the spring transversely or to lift it or to otherwise separate it from its seat, said means forming an obstruction preventing creeping of the end bar out of its seat in the clip.

The invention further provides, in a J-shaped clip, a stop element upstanding from the flat base of the clip in such a position as, in cooperation with the shorter flange of the clip, to prevent dislocating movement of the end bar of a tensioned spring out of the clip bend while providing an entrance opening and passage to the said bend of a width throughout not less than the diameter of the wire of the end bar.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a spring installation permanently securing the end bar of an upholstery spring to a clip fastened to the rail of an article of furniture by a single fastening element passing through the base of the clip and into the rail while permitting unresistant insertion of said end bar into the bend of the clip and further insuring against dislocation or escape of the end bar.

The above and other objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which I FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the clip showing one form of stop element upstanding from the clip base.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a clip, spring and rail installation including the clip of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the installation taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the clip showing a modified form of the single central stop element.

- FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the installation showing a guard lug on the clip in addition to the stop element of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a modified form of the installation showing the stop element in the form of a rivet secured to the clip base.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another modified form of 20 the installation showing two side stop elements each similar to that of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the installation showing a clip with another modified form of stop element.

FIG. 9 isv a top plan view of an installation showing two side stop elements each similar to that of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of an installation showing a clip with astop element diverging upwardly relatively to the inclined short flange 'of the clip.

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of the installation showing a clip with a stop element extending completely across the clip base.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a spring and a clip devoid of any stop element showing how the spring may twist under a force exerted in the direction of the arrow.

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12 but showing the force exerted in the opposite direction and the end bar escaping.

lnthe simplest embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-3, the clip 15 is made of sheet metal and is generally J-shaped. It has a planar relatively long base 16 provided with a pair of transversely spaced apart perforations 17 for the passage through the base of a staple or other suitable fastener which secures the clip to-the rail 19 of a furniture frame. From the base ex- 4 tends the curved portion or bend 20 which serves as a seating bearing for the end bar 21 of the sinuous or the like wire spring 22. A relatively short flange 23 extends from the bend 20 at an upward inclination to the base and is imperforate. The flange 23 makes an interior angle of less than 90 to the base and should not be parallel thereto nor should it be inclined downwardly toward the base.

To insure quick, easy and unobstructed insertion of the end bar 21 into the bend 20 constituting its seat and serving as a bearing therefor, the width of the entrance opening 24 for the end bar into the bend is at least as much as the diameter of the wire of said bar. Similarly, the width of the entire short passage 25 from the entrance opening to the bend is not less than said wire diameter. The opening and the passage consequently offer no resistance whatever to the insertion of the end bar into the clip bend. Regardless of the type of spring employed in the installation, the end bar 21 is straight for the intermediate portion thereof for suitable oscillation in the clip bend, but its free end portion 26 is bent back to limit the sideways or transverse movement of the end bar in the bend.

The relatively wide entrance opening between the clip flange and the clip base is a permanent feature of the clip in distinction from conventional clips wherein said opening is later closed. Prior attempts have been made to keep the entrance opening and passage to the bend permanently open and to provide means which would prevent escape of the end bar from the clip bend. For example, it has been attempted to restrict the passage into the bend at a selected point to form a neck. But just as an entering spring must spread the neck to pass into the bend, so will the end bar spread the neck enough to permit escape of the bar on any attempted movement out of the bend. This may happen in spite of the inherent contractile force in the spring. The mechanical advantage developed when the end bar climbs or creepspast the edge of the clip due to the load on the spring together with forces acting transversely or sideways, may overcome the contractile force normally pulling the end bar into the clip bend and thereby result in objectionable escape movement of the bar. We now find that by providing means which necessitate a significant increase in the outward longitudinal force developed as above described by transverse movement of the spring and required to overcome said contractile force, escape of the end bar is effectively prevented. Said-means takes the form of a stop element on the clip.

In the passage 25 is the stop element 30 upstanding from the base 16 and arranged between the flange 23 and the outer part of the base. Said element, whatever its inclination to the base within a wide range, acts in cooperation with the flange, as an obstruction, resisting and preventing sufficient transverse, longitudinal, lifting or other dislocating movement of any part of the end bar 21 away from or out of its seat,'aided by the contractile force on the spring tending to contract or recurl the spring. Said force is large enough in practice to counteract and overcome effectively the smaller force resulting from the various types of loads which may be put on the spring as previously explained. Should, for any reason, a slight undesired movement of the end bar occur, the internal force in the spring carries the end bar back into place after each such movement. Repeated loading and unloading of the spring fails to result in the objectionable progressive dislocating movement of the end bar which might result in its escape.

The clip can be made to accommodate a wide range of wire sizes by dimensioning the width of the entrance opening 24 and of the passage 25 to be not less than the diameter of the largest size wire which the clip is intended to receive. As to the inclination of the stop element or the operating surface or edge thereof, it may be parallel to or diverge or converge upwardly relatively to, the flange 23 or it may be vertical.

In FIGS..l3 the stop element 30 is of generally triangular outline having an operating edge 31 preferably substantially parallel to the flange 23. Said element is bent out of the material of the base 16 along the relatively short longitudinal center line of the base and is freed from the base all around its periphery except where so bent, by the cut 32. The wide faces of the element lie in planes substantially perpendicular to the base and parallel to the center line mentioned.

In FIG. the stop element 30a is shown diverging upwardly. In FIG. 11, the hump or ridge constituting the stop element 30c extends completely across the base of the clip and is not cut out of the base material.

In FIG. 6, the stop element is shown vertical and as a separate member 30b in the form of a rivet or similar member suitably fixed in a hole in the clip base. Or, instead of a separate member, part of the material at the center line of the base may be indented upwardly without being severed from the base forming a lump at the proper point to act as a stop element as will now be obvious.

The stop elements of FIGS. 4, 5 and 7-l0 are also in the form of cut-outs from the material of the base. The required cuts are made to free the element on all but one side on which the cut-out is bent upwardly. In FIG. 4, the stop element 30d is rectangular in outline and substantially parallel to the flange 23 and its inner edge is, integral with the base.

As shown in FIG. 5, an additional guard lug 33 is partly cut out and bent up to slant toward the flange from the base 16. The free end edge 34 of said lug 33 is about level with, or slightly higher than the free end edge 35 of the stop element 30e. Said lug prevents the end bar from striking the edge 35 or from being caught under said edge when said bar is rapidly inserted into the clip.

In FIG. 7, the stop elements 30f and 30g are partly cut out from the side portions of the base 16 instead of from the middle portion, but are otherwise similar to the element 30d of FIG. 4. g

In the form of the clip shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, two stop elements 30h and 30j are used, each similar to the guard lug 33 of FIG. 5. Each element is inclined upwardlyfrom the base toward the flange 23 and is cut partly out from the side portions of the base instead of from the middle part. Each element acts similarly to those elements inclined away from the flange. It obstructs and resists movement of the end bar out of the seat therefor in the clip bend.

As has been indicated, the type of spring used in the installation does not affect the action of the stop element provided that the spring is tensioned and terminates in a suitable end bar. For illustrative purposes, the spring 38 of FIGS. 8-10 is shown as of the flat zigzag type and those of FIGS. 12 and 13 as of the substantially square cornered type. In all forms of the stop element, the flange 23 should be longer than the operative surface of the element to insure the required cooperation therebetween. Should it be desired to secure the clip to the rail 19 by means in addition to the single staple 18 passing through the base, triangular corner points (FIG. 1-3 and 7) are bent down from the free end of the base and are driven into the rail simultaneously with the driving of the staple 18.

It will now be understood that by the provision of a simple stop element in a more or less conventional clip, the clip need never be closed and yet may be rapidly and economically secured to a furniture frame to provide a safe and dependable installation with its spring, acting to prevent escape of the end bar of the spring from the clip under severe loading 'conditons.

While certain specific forms of the invention have herein been shown and described, various obvious changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A generally .l-shaped permanently open clip for holding the end bar of a furniture spring in tension, said open clip comprising a generally planar base terminating in a free end edge, the base having perforations therethrough for attaching means, a flange terminating in a free end edge in inward and upward spaced relation to the free end edge of the base and to the perforations, a generally cylindrical bend integrally joining the inner adjacent ends of the base and the flange, the flange being at a permanently fixed interior angle to the base, and a stop element upstanding integrally from the material of the base, an operative inner surface on the element facing the outer surfaces of the flange and the bend, said operative surface cooperating with the outer surface of the bend to perform the stop function thereof and being in permanently fixed spaced relation to the outer surface of the flange and forming therebetween a permanently shaped and dimensioned passage constituting an access space leading into the bend, the passage having a completely open fixed entrance open- .ing at the upper end of the operative surface, the least width of said entrance opening, the least width of said passage, the diameter of the bend and the positons and shapes of the parts of the clip being permanently fixed relatively to each other and having a diameter at least equal to the diameter of the end bar of the furniture spring to be held.

2. The open clip of claim 1, the width of the entrance opening, the least width of the passage above the bend and the diameter of the bend being substantially the same.

' 3. The open clip of claim 1, the stop element being bent from the base along a substantially longitudinal line of the base of lesser length than the base and extending away from the flange, the operative surface of the element constituting a side edge of the element of the same thickness at that of the remainder of the clip material, said side edge facing the flange.

4. The open clip of claim 2, the stop element being cut from the material of the base and bent along-a longitudinal center line of the base into a position wherein the wide faces of said element are substantially perpendicular to the base.

5. Th open clip of claim 1, the stop element being cut from the material of the base and bent along a transverse lien of the base, the element being inclined upwardly and outwardly from said line, the wide surface of the element being the operative surface of the open clip.

6. The open clip of claim 1, the stop element being cut from the material of the base and bent along a transverse line of the base, the element being inclined upwardly and inwardly from said line and having a free end edge constituting the operative surface of the open clip.

7. The open clip of claim 1, the stop element extending upwardly not more than the diameter of the bend.

stop element of the clip being cut from the material of the base and erected along a longitudinal line of the base into a position wherein the opeative surface of the element is a side edge of the element.

UNITED STATES MTENT OFFICE QERTIFEQATE OF ORRECTEION Patent N0-j 1g1,l49 Dated Egbngrq 12, 197

Inventor(s) Thomas Grille, mil-31%); Krakauor Edwin Go Krakaeer It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 6, cancel lines Zo -30 inclusive beginning "pessage the and ending "spring to be held? and insert inetee the following:

--passage and the diameter of the band having e dimension at least equal to the diameter of the end her of the furniture spring to be held and the positions and shapes of the parts of the clip being permanently fixed relatively to eech other;-

Column 6, line +7, "Th" should read The Column 6, line +9, "lien" should read line Signed and sealed this 8th day of October 197 (SEAL) Attest:

MoCOY M. GIBSON, JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 1 FORM po'wso USCOMM-DC 603704 69 1 n U 5|. GUVER-NMENY PRINYING OFFICE 196$ 0365-334. 

1. A generally J-shaped permanently open clip for holding the end bar of a furniture spring in tension, said open clip comprising a generally planar base terminating in a free end edge, the base having perforations therethrough for attaching means, a flange terminating in a free end edge in inward and upward spaced relation to the free end edge of the base and to the perforations, a generally cylindrical bend integrally joining the inner adjacent ends of the base and the flange, the flange being at a permanently fixed interior angle to the base, and a stop element upstanding integrally from the material of the base, an operative inner surface on the element facing the outer surfaces of the flange and the bend, said operative surface cooperating with the outer surface of the bend to perform the stop function thereof and being in permanently fixed spaced relation to the outer surface of the flange and forming therebetween a permanently shaped and dimensioned passage constituting an access space leading into the bend, the passage having a completely open fixed entrance opening at the upper end of the operative surface, the least width of said entrance opening, the least width of said passage, the diameter of the bend and the positons and shapes of the parts of the clip being permanently fixed relatively to each other and having a diameter at least equal to the diameter of the end bar of the furniture spring to be held.
 2. The open clip of claim 1, the width of the entrance opening, the least width of the passage above the bend and the diameter of the bend being substantially the same.
 3. The open clip of claim 1, the stop element being bent from the base along a substantially longitudinal line of the base of lesser length than the base and extending away from the flange, the operative surface of the element constituting a side edge of the element of the same thickness at that of the remainder of the clip material, said side edge facing the flange.
 4. The open clip of claim 2, the stop element being cut from the material of the base and bent along a longitudinal center line of the base into a position wherein the wide faces of said element are substantially perpendicular to the base.
 5. Th open clip of claim 1, the stop element being cut from the material of the base and bent along a transverse lien of the base, the element being inclined upwardly and outwardly from said line, the wide surface of the element being the operative surface of the open clip.
 6. The open clip of claim 1, the stop element being cut from the material of the base and bent along a transverse line of the base, the element being inclined upwardly and inwardly from said line and having a free end edge constituting the operative surface of the open clip.
 7. The open clip of claim 1, the stop element extending upwardly not more than the diameter of the bend.
 8. A furniture spring installation comprising a furniture frame rail, a tensioned wire furniture spring having a straight end bar terminating in a bent back portion, the open clip of claim 1 receiving the end bar with the bent back portion projecting transversely beyond the clip base and means passing through the perforations in the clip base affixing the clip base to the rail, the least width of the entrance opening and of the passage in the clip up to the bend of the clip being not less than the diameter of the wire of the end bar.
 9. The furniture spring installation of claim 8, the stop element of the clip being cut from the material of the base and erected along a longitudinal line of the base into a position wherein the opeative surface of the element is a side edge of the element. 